


Partners

by pinnipednorth



Series: Fictober 2018 [6]
Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-28 12:43:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19812553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinnipednorth/pseuds/pinnipednorth
Summary: The first time Cassie knew her parents loved each other was very early in her life. (AKA, the three times Cassie knew her parents were in love.)





	Partners

**Author's Note:**

> Day 6 of Fictober 2018 - "I heard enough, this ends now"  
> \--  
> I tried something new with this one. I really wanted this to be some sort of a collection of Cassie's memories of her parents, thus they're never actually referred to by their real names.

The first time Cassie knew her parents loved each other was very early in her life.

She had to have been no older than five years old when she, Mom, Dad, and Vicky were spending the day on the water. She’d been inching her way closer and closer to the boat’s railing in the hope of seeing dolphins riding in their slipstream as they’d done once before. Mom kept coaxing her back from the edge, taking her hand and bringing her back to the safety of the hull. She’d resigned herself to playing with her toys on the towel Mom had laid out for her. Even at a young age, she'd had enough experiences with Mom’s stern look of disapproval to know better than to test her limits. Dad killed the engine of the boat, dropping the anchor to keep them from drifting farther out to sea. Cassie couldn’t see land in any direction. Dad sat next to Mom and called Vicky over to him. Vicky pounced onto the faux leather seats and licked his face, letting out a howl of excitement. Cassie could see Mom resting her head on Dad’s shoulder. She thought Mom must be tired - Mom and Dad always stayed up so much later than she did. But Mom’s eyes didn’t close.

She turned back to her toys - the mermaid was so close to finding the special elephant that Aunt Chloe, Aunt Nadine, and Uncle Sam had brought back from ‘Ind-ah’ for her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Mom stand up and walk over to the cooler. Her yellow swimsuit had a big hole in the middle, showing her back and her belly, unlike Cassie’s. She saw Dad swat Mom’s bottom like they did to Vicky when she went potty in the house. Mom must have done something bad. But Mom laughed at something Dad said and pulled out two brown glass bottles of the drink that Cassie’d been told only Mommies and Daddies (and Aunts and Uncles) could have.

-

She was spending a warm autumn afternoon outside doing cartwheels. She had been changing her approach all evening, trying to see how close she could get her footprints to the impressions her hands made in the sand and then seeing how far she could extend them. Mom insisted that she needed to finish her homework before going outside. She had stressed the importance of sixth grade, but she made a big deal out of every new school year. If Mom would have been at the office, Cassie knew Dad would’ve let her outside prior to her work being complete and usually would sneak her a sweet before dinner, but both he and Mom had taken the day off.

Cassie wandered around the shore, ultimately deciding she’d had enough gymnastics to last her the rest of the evening. She skipped back to the deck of the house and bounded up the steps. She noticed the hammock to the left of her. Mom and Dad lay within it, their bodies rocking daintily with the wind. Mom was pressed into Dad’s side, her head on his chest and her hand over his heart. Dad had his arm around her, a book laying open on Mom’s arm. Cassie tiptoed towards them. They must’ve fallen asleep to the sound of the waves in the afternoon sun. Dad’s jaw rested on Mom’s head, the grey of his stubble contrasted starkly against her golden hair. Cassie grabbed the book from Dad’s limp hand and closed it, placing it on the deck’s railing.

-

Cassie was laying on the couch in the sitting room, finishing the very end of The Great Gatsby. She closed the book upon finishing the last page and examined the rest of her summer reading list for junior year - one more book: The Crucible by Arthur Miller.

She heard Mom and Dad’s door creak open - what were they doing up so early? Usually, they weren’t awake until 9 am or later. Vicky’s paws stampeded along the hardwood floor of the hallway and Cassie heard Mom sigh and readjust the rug before they made their way into the laundry room to feed Vicky, then the kitchen.  The mechanical hiss of the coffee pot along with the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans filled the room. From where Cassie was laying, she could see that Mom was wearing athletic shorts and the shirt that Dad was wearing yesterday.  _ Ugh _ .  Mom was leaning against the counter when Dad cornered her, placing his hands on the edge of the counter on either side of her.

“Happy Mother’s Day, sweetheart.”  _ Shit _ . Cassie had forgotten.

Mom leaned to meet his lips.  _ Gross _ . “Couldn’t have done it without you.” Cassie clenched her eyes shut when Mom leaned in for another kiss.  _ Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop _ . “How’s it feel knowing we’ve worked together for so long and yet nothing we do will ever top her?”

“Well, maybe if our other projects had the same collaboration process.”  _ I’ve heard enough, this ends now. _

Cassie rose from her spot on the couch. “Good morning,” she greeted awkwardly. Mom’s cheeks flushed and she hid her face in Dad’s shoulder. Cassie made for the hallway. “Happy Mother’s Day, I’ll be in my room trying to forget all of this just happened.”


End file.
